Chief Supt. Amanda Jones is the new commanding officer of the RCMP’s V-Division, Nunavut Territory. A Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal recipient (among many other awards), she is the eighth person to lead V Division since its creation and the territory’s first female commanding officer. Fresh from a two-year appointment in the Northwest Territories, where she was the officer in charge of criminal operations (G Division), she shares more about her northern experiences and plans for the future.

Dale Cox is chief of police of Lakeshore Regional Police Service (LRPS), headquartered on the Driftpile Cree Nation in northern Alberta. He helped build this self-administered First Nations (FN) police agency, along with many other partners, after retiring from the RCMP. He shares how the 11-year-old service has evolved, as well as the importance of consultation and active listening when it comes to community relations.

Det. Michelle Pflug is Peel Regional Police’s newest certified bloodstain pattern analyst, one of three at the Ontario service and one of about 30 across the country. She received her certification from the Ontario Police College in June 2018, after finishing a master’s of forensic science at the same time.

Halifax Regional Police Staff Sgt. Carolyn Nichols, the president of AWLE (Atlantic Women in Law Enforcement), sat down with Blue Line on her third night shift as watch commander, when magazine staff were in town for the CACP (Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police) Conference earlier this year. Nichols, who is a third-generation police officer, began her policing career in 1999 and was promoted to her current rank this past July. She shares her journey and why organizations like AWLE matter.

After spending 34 years in the Canadian Armed Forces (Reserves), Kevin Junor found his way into corrections, though it was never a field he thought he’d develop an interest in. Today, he is the deputy superintendent of administration at the Ontario Correctional Institute (OCI) in Brampton. He shares with Blue Line his passion for leadership development, change management and his hopes for the corrections field.

Meet Vince Lefaive, a former 31-year patrol sergeant, now retired from the Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS). Lefaive is an advocate for first responder PTSD and a proud cannabis patient. He is also one very passionate individual when it comes to policing and has no regrets, stating he would do it all over again, if he could.

In honour of National Peacekeepers’ Day earlier this year, Blue Line spoke with Det.-Sgt. Caren Ashmore of the Ontario Provincial Police’s West Region Crime Unit in Wellington County. Ashmore spent 16 months in Ramallah, Palestine, as part of the European Union Co-ordinating for Palestine Police Support. Deployed as a police advisor for accountability, she was appointed acting deputy head of the Police Advisory Section six months in.

Saanich Police Department Sgt. Drew Robertson was selected as one of the “Top 40 Under 40” award recipients from the International Association of Chiefs of Police last year. Robertson, who is the team leader of the Greater Victoria Police Emergency Response Team (GVERT) in British Columbia, was recognized for revamping the recruit selection processes and operational protocols. He tells Blue Line more about his new lesson plans, training scenarios and what it takes to make a positive impact in the field.

Colin MacLeod spent over 20 years in the RCMP as a pilot, flying fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters on nail-biting missions through Newfoundland snow, the peaks and saddles of the Rocky Mountains and beyond. Also a former Edmonton Police officer, MacLeod shares his stories from the cockpit at a time when policing by air was still quite the novelty.

The Ontario Provincial Police’s (OPP) Security Assessment Unit (SAU) began organizing the Policing Security Network (PSN) by partnering with several other police services for more collaboration on physical security threats. SAU’s Patrick Ogilvie, a security consultant, and OPP Sgt. Laura Meyers, along with OPP section manager and Acting Insp. Rob Fournier, share more on why this group is so ground breaking.

Chief Julia Cecchetto began her role as head of Kentville Police Service last October, after 27 years with Halifax Regional Police. As the first female police chief in all of Nova Scotia, she shares what it’s like to carry that torch.

When you ask a police service what they want in a patrol car, they don’t even hesitate, says OPP officer Mike Bennett. But when it comes to off-highway vehicles, it’s another story. That’s where Bennett and his company Terra Tech Off Road come in, and his latest reveal — a beefed up side-by-side called the Guardian — shows law enforcement agencies all the different types of product they can get to suit their off-road needs.

On April 19, 2016, an Ottawa police officer was injured during an altercation on the job. Exactly one year later, Const. Michael McNaught found himself on CBC’s Dragons’ Den. Today, he’s back with Ottawa Police Service — while still managing his marketplace business, RVezy. He shares how entrepreneurship helped in his recovery and complements his policing, too.

Twenty years ago the Innisfil Police Service and Bradford West Gwillimbury Police amalgamated as the South Simcoe Police. Chief Andrew Fletcher — who started his law enforcement career at Halton Regional Police — shares his thoughts on community mobilization and handling lean budgets.

The Dakota Ojibway Police Service (DOPS) snuffed out 40 candles on its birthday cake this year. It is a recognized self-administered agency located in southern Manitoba, serving the Birdtail Sioux, Canupawakpa Dakota, Long Plain First Nation, Roseau River, Sandy Bay and Waywayseecappo First Nation communities. Acting Chief Rick Head provides insight on what it’s like to lead one of the longest operating First Nation police services in Canada.